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Pediatric

Get the White Out of Baby’s First Foods

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Almost every childcare book offers the same advice about a baby’s first solid meal — start them first on rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. This has been received wisdom for 60 years.

But this is because in the 1950’s, baby food companies launched an advertising blitz trumpeting the benefits of white rice cereal.

But there is no scientific basis for this recommendation. None at all. And now, concerned about increasing childhood obesity, some pediatricians want to change how babies eat.

If babies are getting used to the taste of highly processed white rice and flour, it could set them up for a lifetime of bad habits.

USA Today reports:

“White rice — after processing strips away fiber, vitamins and other nutrients — is a ‘nutritional disaster’ … White rice and flour turn to sugar in the body ‘almost instantly,’ … raising blood sugar and insulin levels.”

Every mother need to know:
According to nutrition experts, white rice is the wonder bread of grains, stripped off of most of its nutritional value, including fiber, vitamins and minerals. White rice and white flour turn to sugar almost instantly in our bodies, spiking blood sugar levels.

Brown rice should be chosen by parents, and by building a preference for it from day one, toddlers growing into childhood will come to enjoy brown whole rice in its normal form for many years to come.

Aside from rice, it’s good to get your child used to as many types of veggies and fruit as possible early on, adding a new one to the plate every few days. Good entry points are:

* bananas – choose a ripe, just-about-to-brown banana and mash it well with the back end of a fork til smooth.
* carrot, zucchini, squash – peel, boil in water until soft, the mush with the back end of a fork until smooth.
Click to see : Baby’s first foods till one year old

Resources:
USA Today December 1, 2010

What should be  Baby’s First Solid Food

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Herbs & Plants

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)

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Botanical Name : Chrysanthemum morifolium
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Anthemideae
Genus: Chrysanthemum
Common Names: Chrysanthemum , Mums, Ju Hua, Chu Hua,Florist’s Chrysanthemum
Syn : Dendranthema morifolium
Parts Used: flowers

Habitat : Native to China, Japan, India and Korea; . Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain

Description:
Chrysanthemums, or “mums,” are any of several annual and perennial herbs in a large genus, Chrysanthemum, of the daisy family, Compositae. Chrysanthemums are widely grown commercially for their showy red, white, or yellow blossoms, which are produced in late summer and fall. The blossoms range from daisylike in appearance to very shaggy. Although most of the popular varieties are new hybrids,  they are the floral emblem of theimperial family. The Chinese varieties are the tallest, reaching heights of 1.2 m (4 ft) or more. Indian or pompon varieties have smallest flowers. Chrysanthemums should be planted in sunny locations, as they become spindly if grown in the shade

CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES.......(01)....(1)..…....(2)..……..(3).….…………

The familiar chrysanthemum in which literally thousands of year of breeding have produced an amazing variety of plant forms and flower colors.
Height .12-36 inches.Suitable for the home or a greenhouse.

USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9
Flower Color  :red, orange, yellow, white, lavender

Propagation:  Stem cuttings and seeds in the spring. It is best to propagate any type of cuttings or seeds in a mixture of moist peat and perlite. Cover the pot and plant with a plastic bag secured by a rubber band to prevent moisture from escaping. Place in indirect sunlight or under a fluorescent light. Repot in its regular mix after it has been growing for a while.

Constituents: ascorbic acid, beta-cartone, calcium, fiber, folacin, iron.

Properties: Refrigerant* Anti-inflammatory* Antibacterial* Febrifuge* Demulcent* Aromatic* Hepatic* Hypotensive*

Medicinal Actions  & Uses:

Common Uses: Allergies/hay Fever * Eye care – Vision * Heart Tonics/Cordials * Hypertension HBP * Influenza * Sore Throat/Laryngitis *

Ju-hua is used in Chinese medicine in prescriptions for colds with wind, and heat, headache, inflamed eyes, swelling and pain in the throat, vertigo, tinnitus, sores such as boils, and tightness of the chest with anxiety. Chrysanthemum flowers soaked in rice wine, are a historical restorative drink. Chrysanthemum is combined with Japanese honeysuckle in the treatment of high blood pressure. Steven Foster and Yue chongxi . Herbal Emissaries (1992)

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/perennials/Chrysmo.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum
http://www.plantcare.com/encyclopedia/florist-chrysanthemum-1060.aspx
http://www.mdidea.com/products/new/new090paper.html

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Pediatric

Baby’s First Solid Food

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Around the middle of your baby’s first year,(about between 4 to 5  months or sometimes just after 6 months) she or he should be ready to start solids. This coincides with two events: your baby’s decreasing iron stores and her developmental readiness. Before starting solids, be sure to discuss this with your pediatrician. In addition, to determine whether your baby may be ready for solid foods,(You may click & take  a Solid Food Quiz.:)
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Rice cereal as a first food
Rice cereal is typically the first complementary food introduced to infants. It’s made with gentle ingredients, and its smooth, fine texture is developmentally appropriate for your baby. Usually, oatmeal is the second cereal offered.Wait about three days in between each cereal to see how your baby tolerates them. Watch for signs of allergy or intolerance such as diarrhea, rash, or vomiting. If any of these occur, stop feeding your baby that variety and contact your pediatrician. Offer Mixed Grain Cereals and Cereals with Fruit only after your baby has mastered rice and oatmeal cereals.

Mix it up
Your baby’s first bite of “solids” should look more like thin milk. Mix one tablespoon of cereal with four to five tablespoons of breastmilk or formula until it has a souplike consistency.

It’s show time
To start solids, pick a time of day when your baby is in good spirits, wide awake, and mildly hungry. A quiet time is best so you don’t need to worry about rushing through a feeding.

•Get the appropriate spoon. Use a small baby-size spoon that’s coated to protect your baby’s tender gums.

•Protect your baby’s clothes. Cover your baby with a large, washable bib.

•Take a picture. Have your camera or video camera ready.

•Let her explore. Because your baby will probably try to grab the spoon anyway, place a dab of cereal on her high chair tray so she can “finger paint” with it and become familiar with its texture before you start feeding.

•Before you start.
Breastfeed your baby or give her a bottle to take the edge off her hunger so she won’t be fussy. Don’t reduce the time you spend nursing or the ounces of breastmilk or formula you offer. This assures you that your baby still gets adequate nourishment for growth, regardless of how much—and which—solid food baby  eats.

•Feed baby her new food!
Give her one to two teaspoons at first in half spoonfuls. Sit facing your baby and hold the spoonful of food about 12 inches from her face.

Wait until she’s paying attention before putting the spoon up to her mouth. For the first bite try putting a dab of cereal on her lip. If she’s agreeable to that first taste, put the next bite into her mouth when she opens it. Feed your baby as slowly or as rapidly as she wants.

•Try cereal again. Don’t be surprised if your baby’s first taste pops right back out onto her tongue. It’s a natural reflex. Eventually she’ll swallow more than she spits out. If your baby seems unhappy about this experience, give it up for now and try again in a week.

•Follow with breastmilk or formula. Once you’ve offered your baby cereal, breastfeed your baby or offer her a bottle.

You may click to see:->Easy Homemade Baby Food & Baby Food Recipes Tasty, Nutritious & Full of Love for your Baby   :

->How to Make Your Own Baby Food at Home;

->Introducing solid foods

-> MAKING BABY FOOD

->How to Make Your own Baby Food: Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Resources:
http://www.gerber.com/AllStages/Nutrition_And_Feeding/Your_babys_first_solid_food.aspx?sourceId=1&mediumId=4&adVersion=5250257575&campaign=Gerber>Food_Products&adGro

up=Solid_Foods&keyword=introducing%20babies%20solid%20food&matchType=Broad&CMP=KNC-GoogleVBB&HBX_PK=AD-COPY&HBX_OU=50&source=10064630&gclid=CMf9pYfmi6ICFciA5QodyUGAV

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Categories
Pediatric

When to Start Solid Food to Babies

It is always confusing to know when to give baby solid food. When a mom notices her baby is hungrier than usual, the mom usually asks the pediatrician, “When can my baby begin eating solid foods?” Baby will know, just pay attention to the signs. Mom just has to watch and listen.When you begin feeding your baby solid foods you want to progress in a way that sets baby up for healthy eating habits. You are not only putting food into your baby’s tummy, you are introducing lifelong attitudes about nutrition. Consider for a moment that during the first year or two you will spend more time feeding your baby than in any other interaction. You both might as well enjoy it.

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WAIT 6 REASONS:-
Gone are the days when pressured mothers stuffed globs of cereal into the tight mouths of reluctant six-week-olds. Nowadays parents feed their baby on the timetable that is developmentally and nutritionally correct — as determined by their baby. Don’t be in a rush to start solids. Here are some good reasons for waiting.

1. Baby’s intestines need to mature. The intestines are the body’s filtering system, screening out potentially harmful substances and letting in healthy nutrients. In the early months, this filtering system is immature. Between four and seven months a baby’s intestinal lining goes through a developmental growth spurt called closure, meaning the intestinal lining becomes more selective about what to let through. To prevent potentially-allergenic foods from entering the bloodstream, the maturing intestines secrete IgA , a protein immunoglobulin that acts like a protective paint, coating the intestines and preventing the passage of harmful allergens. In the early months, infant IgA production is low (although there is lots of IgA in human milk), and it is easier for potentially-allergenic food molecules to enter the baby’s system. Once food molecules are in the blood, the immune system may produce antibodies to that food, creating a food allergy . By six to seven months of age the intestines are more mature and able to filter out more of the offending allergens. This is why it’s particularly important to delay solids if there is a family history of food allergy, and especially to delay the introduction of foods to which other family members are allergic.

2. Young babies have a tongue-thrust reflex . In the first four months the tongue thrust reflex protects the infant against choking. When any unusual substance is placed on the tongue, it automatically protrudes outward rather than back. Between four and six months this reflex gradually diminishes, giving the glob of cereal a fighting chance of making it from the tongue to the tummy. Not only is the mouth-end of baby’s digestive tract not ready for early solids, neither is the lower end.

3. Baby’s swallowing mechanism is immature.
Another reason not to rush solids is that the tongue and the swallowing mechanisms may not yet be ready to work together. Give a spoonful of food to an infant less than four months, and she will move it around randomly in her mouth, pushing some of it back into the pharynx where it is swallowed, some of it into the large spaces between the cheeks and gums, and some forward between the lips and out onto her chin. Between four and six months of age, most infants develop the ability to move the food from the front of the mouth to the back instead of letting it wallow around in the mouth and get spit out. Prior to four months of age, a baby’s swallowing mechanism is designed to work with sucking, but not with chewing.

4. Baby needs to be able to sit up. In the early months, babies associate feeding with cuddling. Feeding is an intimate interaction, and babies often associate the feeding ritual with falling asleep in arms or at the breast. The change from a soft, warm breast to a cold, hard spoon may not be welcomed with an open mouth. Feeding solid foods is a less intimate and more mechanical way of delivering food. It requires baby to sit up in a highchair – a skill which most babies develop between five and seven months. Holding a breastfed baby in the usual breastfeeding position may not be the best way to start introducing solids, as your baby expects to be breastfed and clicks into a “what’s wrong with this picture?” mode of food rejection.

5. Young infants are not equipped to chew. Teeth seldom appear until six or seven months, giving further evidence that the young infant is designed to suck rather than to chew. In the pre-teething stage, between four and six months, babies tend to drool, and the drool that you are always wiping off baby’s face is rich in enzymes, which will help digest the solid foods that are soon to come.

6. Older babies like to imitate caregivers
. Around six months of age, babies like to imitate what they see. They see you spear a veggie and enjoy chewing it. They want to grab a fork and do likewise.

Like all children there are growth spurts, babies too! There are times when they are hungrier but this isn’t the sign they need solid food. Just pay attention and is if this is a consistent behavior and more than a growth spurt. If you decide it is more than just a “hungry day” it may be baby is ready for solids. If this is the case, please remember they need breast milk and formula still!

Baby’s nutrients mostly come from breast milk or formula. It is their main source of nutrients and they still require it through out the first year of their life. Theoretically, babies can begin solid foods between four and six months of age. This is not a hard and fast rule however, so if baby hasn’t begun to exhibited signs of being ready, don’t push. Each baby is different. Here are just a few of the signs that might signal baby is ready to begin solid foods, again don’t pressure or push your child.

*Adequate Neck Control
The first thing a baby has to have is neck control. If they look like a bobble head doll, they are not ready for solid food.your baby will be able to sit upright and keep the head in position for a long time.   Your baby will sit safely when you have the proper support.

If a baby has a wobbly head they are not able to swallow anything thicker than milk and to eat solid food they must be able to swallow food thicker than milk. If a baby eats solids too soon without the proper control needed they could choke.

*Reflux and Chewing
All babies’ naturally push things out of their mouth; it is natural for babies when feeding with a bottle or nipple to push things out of their mouth. It’s just the way for baby’s to prevent themselves from choking. When the reflux kicks in they begin to stop pushing nipple or bottle from their mouths.

The “extrusion reflex” cease: Your baby will no longer use his tongue out of his mouth milk or formula.

Shall be seen chewing movements. The tongue and mouth of babies is developed while your digestive system, like their teeth.

Your baby has a good appetite.
Before a baby can actually eat they need to learn to chew and this takes place when they can push the back of their mouth where it heads south to the stomach courtesy of that swallowing reflux. It’s just a matter of time. The chewing motion is a good sign that baby is ready to eat solid food. You can’t make it happen; it comes when your baby is developmentally ready.

*Weight Gain:Weight gain your baby will be significantly noticeable.
When the weight of your baby has doubled, they could be ready for foods. A rule of thumb many doctors give mothers. This alone is not a sure sign, but when it is combined with other indicators, the solid food stage is close at hand. Pay close attention and ask your pediatrician.

* Curious about the food they eat as adults.

*Individuality
Each baby is different
. If your baby is close to six months of age and not eating solids, be patient. Breast milk and formula is adequate and there is not hurry or rush. Eating more breast milk or formula will not harm your baby. When it is time for solid foods your baby will let you know. Continue to watch for the signals and pay attention to your baby’s cues.

Starting your baby on solid foods is the beginning of lifelong eating habits that contribute to your baby’s overall health. Here are general guidelines that can help you start your baby out on the right track to a healthy life. Starting baby solid foods and feeding schedule too early can cause your baby to develop food allergies.
But this is also not very true in all cases but one must start very slowly after 3to 4 months minimum one’s baby otherwise fit for it.

Resources:
http://organicbabyproducts101.com/starting-baby-food/
http://hubpages.com/hub/When-to-start-Solid-foods-for-baby-and-Baby-Feeding-Schedule
http://www.nordoniapreschoolparents.com/guide-to-the-baby-feeding-starting-solid-foods.htm

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

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Categories
Healthy Tips

Proper Care of Your Child

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Mama, Give Me the Right Food…….Mama, Give Me the Right Food

“My child does not eat at all. Could you prescribe a tonic?” This is a concern expressed by most parents during their visit to the paediatrician for a routine checkup. Yet, rarely do these children appear malnourished. They do not have sunken cheeks nor are the ribs plainly visible. They seem healthy and their weight is appropriate. The complaints arise probably because the amount of food they eat falls short of the parents’ expectations.

The weight of a child in the first year is determined by the birth weight. For example, a child who is 3kg at birth should be 9kg on his or her first birthday (three times the birth weight). After the first year, the growth rate slows down. The weight after the age of two can be calculated using the formula: (age +3) x 5 = weight in pounds. Divide it by 2.2 to get the value in kilograms. The BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metre cubed. For children up to 10 years, this should be 23.

If a child is underweight, or the weight curve has plateaued or is dropping, investigations have to be done. The problem may be treatable and correctable. Children often get worm infestation. This may cause weight loss and a perverted desire to eat chalk, toothpaste, uncooked rice or lick paint. Usually a single dose of albendazole is all that is required. It can be prescribed by the paediatrician. But if the physical examination and tests are normal, the problem may lie with faulty feeding practices.

Correct food habits have to be started at birth and continued through life. Breast milk is best for a newborn baby even if it is pre-term. The World Health Organisation has recommended that it should be the only food (exclusive) the baby receives for the first 120 days. Breast milk has a high concentration of antibodies and immunoglobulins which protect against viral and bacterial diarrhoea, cold, cough, measles, chicken pox, mumps and a variety of other infections between six and nine months. Despite extensive research and claims of superiority, baby food manufacturers have not managed to duplicate breast milk.

Weaning foods can be introduced after 120 days. Breast milk tastes bland, so unless the initial weaning food tastes similar, the baby may reject it. Natural foods like rice, wheat or ragi are best. Precooked, ready-to-eat packaged cereals have no advantage. They may (despite claims to the contrary) contain preservatives or high concentrations of electrolytes which the baby’s immature organs cannot handle.

New foods should be introduced only every two weeks. Mashed banana, stewed apple and freshly prepared juices are easily digested. Homemade string hoppers or idlies can be served with milk and sugar. A mixture of rice, pulses, potato, carrot and other vegetables can be cooked with salt, mashed properly and given to the baby.

After the age of 10 months, undiluted cow milk may be given. The total quantity a day should not exceed 400ml. But if it is given first thing in the morning, it suppresses the appetite. Milk should be served after breakfast. It contains only 60 calories per 100ml. This means that consuming large volumes will fill the stomach but not provide as much energy as the same volume of calorie-dense food. Additives and “health drinks” do not really provide nutrition. They contribute very little to the health or weight of a child unless taken in large unrealistic portions.

A sedentary child who sits in front of the television will not have a good appetite. Physical activity is essential. This has to be provided and supervised by parents as most schools today concentrate on academics. At least one hour of activity — such as running, jumping and cycling — is essential for a good appetite and good health.

Milk biscuits, cream biscuits, packaged snacks and aerated, carbonated cool drinks provide empty calories. A child who is not particular about meals but prefers to eat snacks and watch television all day will be unhealthy, develop a paunch and have a poor appetite. This may also lead to obesity. An occasional snack is a reward, not a substitute for proper meals.

Many “health tonics”, often touted as natural, are available in the market. Non- allopathic (homeopathic or aryuvedic) products may have tongue-twisting names and contain many ingredients. Their side effects are not known, nor whether they have reactions with any allopathic medication that a child is taking. Tonics containing cyproheptadine do increase the appetite. This drug is actually a potent antihistamine with many dangerous side effects, one of which is an increased appetite.

It must also be kept in mind that the apple does not fall far from the tree. If both parents are thin, it is likely that the child will also be so. This may be genetic or the result of food and exercise habits inculcated over several generations.

Source: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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